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Post-doctorat

Sommaire du poste

Our laboratory focuses on characterizing novel molecules that modulate the growth of blood vessels in the eye, with the hope of establishing new therapeutic strategies to treat neovascular ocular pathologies. Indeed, diseases associated with inappropriate neovascularization, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), account for the most common causes of vision loss in the industrial world. AMD is characterized by choroidal blood vessel growth that can ultimately lead to retinal damage. Our lab tackles these diseases by studying choroidal and retinal angiogenesis and the factors that regulate it. Moreover, we are interested in the cellular interactions and signaling that regulate vessel growth in both physiological and pathological contexts.

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Sommaire du poste

The research project aims to decipher the cross-talk between gene expression (mRNA translation) and metabolic reprogramming in cancer, and in adaptation to stress, by exploiting a combination of systems biology approaches (i.e. metabolomics, transcriptomics, and translatomics [transcriptome-wide collection of actively translated mRNAs]), combined with rigorous validation using standard molecular and cellular biology techniques.

More particularly, this project aims to dissect the mechanisms underpinning the anti-cancer action of translational inhibitors (against eIF4A and eIF4G) in the context of kinase inhibitor resistance, with the long-term goal of improving kinase inhibitor efficacy in the clinic.

Date d'affichage

Novembre 2019

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Doctorat

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

We are looking for a motivated M.Sc. or Ph. D. student with background in molecular biology,
biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering interested to work on asymmetric division.
We recently developed a technology to labelling the membrane of live cell, a method termed Cell
Labeling via Photobleaching (CLaP). It allows arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a
heterogeneous population within a microscopy field. CLaP consists of crosslinking biotin to the
plasma membrane of chosen cells with the lasers of a confocal microscope, followed by use of
fluorescent streptavidin conjugates to reveal the tagged cells. In this manner, the same
instrument used for imaging can be adapted to label particular cells based exclusively on any
visible trait that distinguishes them from the ensemble. The mark is stable, non-toxic, retained in
cells for several days, and does not produce detectable alterations in cell morphology, viability,
or proliferative capacity. Moreover, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling demonstrated no
major changes in gene expression associated with the procedure. We aim to apply this method
to study genetic mechanism governing asymmetric division.

Date d'affichage

Mai 2019

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Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

During radiotherapy, ionizing radiation (IR) efficiently kills cancer cells by directly inducing highlygenotoxic DNA double strand breaks (DSB). The efficiencies of DSB are critical determinants in the response to cancer radiotherapy; indeed substantial evidence indicates that enhanced DSBR capacity in individual patients is a major determinant in tumour radioresistance. Moreover, (i) the considerable number of patients displaying severe radiosensitivity, who suffer from extreme IR-induced destruction of healthy tissue, and (ii) the occurrence of radiotherapy-induced secondary cancers, are both presumably associated with reduced DSBR capacity. In view of the above, there is a pressing need to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of DSBR, towards improving the clinical management of patients undergoing radiotherapy. Following exposure of cells to IR, multiple DNA repair proteins are rapidly recruited to DSB sites, forming nuclear foci which can only be monitored visually by fluorescence microscopy. Importantly, abnormal persistence (slow resolution) of foci is a well-established indicator of defective DSBR in general. Isolation and subsequent characterization of single cells based on their ability to resolve IRinduced nuclear foci has never been accomplished. To address this, we recently developed a method termed Single-Cell Magneto-Optical Capture (scMOCa) that allows, for the first time, arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a heterogeneous population within a microscopy field and their subsequent isolation and clonal expansion. By targeting individual live cells from within a heterogeneous population exhibiting differential capacity to resolve IR-induced DNA repair foci, we will set the stage for genome-wide profiling and functional analyses on the resulting clonallyderived cell populations.

Date d'affichage

Mai 2019

En savoir plus

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

We are looking for a motivated M.Sc. or Ph. D. student with background in molecular biology,
biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering interested to work on asymmetric division.
We recently developed a technology to labelling the membrane of live cell, a method termed Cell
Labeling via Photobleaching (CLaP). It allows arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a
heterogeneous population within a microscopy field. CLaP consists of crosslinking biotin to the
plasma membrane of chosen cells with the lasers of a confocal microscope, followed by use of
fluorescent streptavidin conjugates to reveal the tagged cells. In this manner, the same
instrument used for imaging can be adapted to label particular cells based exclusively on any
visible trait that distinguishes them from the ensemble. The mark is stable, non-toxic, retained in
cells for several days, and does not produce detectable alterations in cell morphology, viability,
or proliferative capacity. Moreover, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling demonstrated no
major changes in gene expression associated with the procedure. We aim to apply this method
to study genetic mechanism governing asymmetric division.

Briefly, neurological pain and inflammation are involved in many pathological conditions for which treatment faces clinical challenges. Here, we will be using nanophotonics-enabled drug delivery to effectively modulate inflammation and relieve pain in several disease models, including severe viral infection. Our approach uses a combination of biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, molecular and cell biology techniques to enable targeted drug delivery.

This is a collaborative project. Students should expect exposure to several different areas and will be able to develop in-depth expertise in at least two areas. Areas to be covered in the collaborative effort include biomaterials/nanomaterial design and fabrication, cell culture (specifically neurons), gene transfer, viral cultures, advanced microscopy, and animal models. The student will join the laboratories of Prof. Boutopoulos and Prof. Griffith at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center (CR-HMR) and the laboratory of Prof. Talbot at UdeM.

Date d'affichage

En savoir plus

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

The research project aims to decipher the cross-talk between gene expression (mRNA translation) and metabolic reprogramming in cancer, and in adaptation to stress, by exploiting a combination of systems biology approaches (i.e. metabolomics, transcriptomics, and translatomics [transcriptome-wide collection of actively translated mRNAs]), combined with rigorous validation using standard molecular and cellular biology techniques.

More particularly, this project aims to dissect the mechanisms underpinning the anti-cancer action of translational inhibitors (against eIF4A and eIF4G) in the context of kinase inhibitor resistance, with the long-term goal of improving kinase inhibitor efficacy in the clinic.

Date d'affichage

Novembre 2019

En savoir plus

Maîtrise

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

We are looking for a motivated M.Sc. or Ph. D. student with background in molecular biology,
biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering interested to work on asymmetric division.
We recently developed a technology to labelling the membrane of live cell, a method termed Cell
Labeling via Photobleaching (CLaP). It allows arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a
heterogeneous population within a microscopy field. CLaP consists of crosslinking biotin to the
plasma membrane of chosen cells with the lasers of a confocal microscope, followed by use of
fluorescent streptavidin conjugates to reveal the tagged cells. In this manner, the same
instrument used for imaging can be adapted to label particular cells based exclusively on any
visible trait that distinguishes them from the ensemble. The mark is stable, non-toxic, retained in
cells for several days, and does not produce detectable alterations in cell morphology, viability,
or proliferative capacity. Moreover, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling demonstrated no
major changes in gene expression associated with the procedure. We aim to apply this method
to study genetic mechanism governing asymmetric division.

Date d'affichage

Mai 2019

En savoir plus

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

During radiotherapy, ionizing radiation (IR) efficiently kills cancer cells by directly inducing highlygenotoxic DNA double strand breaks (DSB). The efficiencies of DSB are critical determinants in the response to cancer radiotherapy; indeed substantial evidence indicates that enhanced DSBR capacity in individual patients is a major determinant in tumour radioresistance. Moreover, (i) the considerable number of patients displaying severe radiosensitivity, who suffer from extreme IR-induced destruction of healthy tissue, and (ii) the occurrence of radiotherapy-induced secondary cancers, are both presumably associated with reduced DSBR capacity. In view of the above, there is a pressing need to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of DSBR, towards improving the clinical management of patients undergoing radiotherapy. Following exposure of cells to IR, multiple DNA repair proteins are rapidly recruited to DSB sites, forming nuclear foci which can only be monitored visually by fluorescence microscopy. Importantly, abnormal persistence (slow resolution) of foci is a well-established indicator of defective DSBR in general. Isolation and subsequent characterization of single cells based on their ability to resolve IRinduced nuclear foci has never been accomplished. To address this, we recently developed a method termed Single-Cell Magneto-Optical Capture (scMOCa) that allows, for the first time, arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a heterogeneous population within a microscopy field and their subsequent isolation and clonal expansion. By targeting individual live cells from within a heterogeneous population exhibiting differential capacity to resolve IR-induced DNA repair foci, we will set the stage for genome-wide profiling and functional analyses on the resulting clonallyderived cell populations.

Date d'affichage

Mai 2019

En savoir plus

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

We are looking for a motivated M.Sc. or Ph. D. student with background in molecular biology,
biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering interested to work on asymmetric division.
We recently developed a technology to labelling the membrane of live cell, a method termed Cell
Labeling via Photobleaching (CLaP). It allows arbitrary tagging of individual cells among a
heterogeneous population within a microscopy field. CLaP consists of crosslinking biotin to the
plasma membrane of chosen cells with the lasers of a confocal microscope, followed by use of
fluorescent streptavidin conjugates to reveal the tagged cells. In this manner, the same
instrument used for imaging can be adapted to label particular cells based exclusively on any
visible trait that distinguishes them from the ensemble. The mark is stable, non-toxic, retained in
cells for several days, and does not produce detectable alterations in cell morphology, viability,
or proliferative capacity. Moreover, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling demonstrated no
major changes in gene expression associated with the procedure. We aim to apply this method
to study genetic mechanism governing asymmetric division.

Date d'affichage

En savoir plus

Poste

Temps complet

Service

Direction de la recherche

Sommaire du poste

The research project aims to decipher the cross-talk between gene expression (mRNA translation) and metabolic reprogramming in cancer, and in adaptation to stress, by exploiting a combination of systems biology approaches (i.e. metabolomics, transcriptomics, and translatomics [transcriptome-wide collection of actively translated mRNAs]), combined with rigorous validation using standard molecular and cellular biology techniques.

More particularly, this project aims to dissect the mechanisms underpinning the anti-cancer action of translational inhibitors (against eIF4A and eIF4G) in the context of kinase inhibitor resistance, with the long-term goal of improving kinase inhibitor efficacy in the clinic.